Please help—Gaming addicted 13 year old needs text/talk only phone

[Anonymous]

Pretty sure there will be no gaming with this:

https://www.greatcall.com/phones/jitterbug-flip-cell-phone-for-seniors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pretty sure there will be no gaming with this:

https://www.greatcall.com/phones/jitterbug-flip-cell-phone-for-seniors

Looks pretty humiliating for a 13 year old, but might do the job. I'll have to look at the phones and see if they really have no internet access. Even the most basic flip phones have some internet access, for some unknown reason. I guess it's to email photos?

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to let you know of an author, Katrina Kenison, who wrote a really poignant memoir about her son's gaming/alcohol addiction. It is called "Magical Journey." Good luck to you and your son.

[Anonymous]

I was totally going to suggest a Jitterbug. Someone beat me to it!


Also, here is a review on this phone: https://www.att.com/cellphones/lg/b470.html?gclid=CjwKCAiA5OrTBRBlEiwAXXhT6F4Yc69Lu78M8mZrfV7CEdghY1165Xo_Fdbs4Y9DEi4aZAmQHw9nOhoCXgcQAvD_BwE#sku=sku7830330?WT.srch=1&source=ECPS0000000PSM00P&kid=aud-386821807579:pla-355582934866&cid=914162327

THis sweet beast of a phone wa bought for a teenager who couldn't control his Clash of Clans addiction. No more worrying about that next turn! Now he has the sweet sweet satisfaction of flipping this bad boy open to answer it just like everyone over 30 had to years ago. Its amazing how much of a difference it made in his grades and personality also. He went from a class failing zombie to an actually productive, and might I even add, happier, alert teenager. He now has to have actual conversation with his family instead burying his head into a phone. Who knew a phone downgrade would be a kid upgrade!

[Anonymous]

When your kid had the tracphone he was also able to use the browser with WiFi, OP. He could go to Starbucks or the library and game there.

Look into those parental controls a PP mentioned. You can turn the home Wifi off, or control what sites are visited. I don't know that you can delete a browser entirely, so the Jitterbug or similar might be best. You could also get a phone that you hold 99% of the time, and he can ask to see or you hand over when a text comes through. It would look to his friends like he has his own phone, but you'd be the one controlling it. He has to use it in your presence. He could know he would slowly earn access to it as he got over his gaming compulsion.

The way your child is getting around controls must be through accessing a password, right? You need new passwords on all devices, the router, etc. Keep them on your phone in a password protected password keeper on your password protected phone. Look up how to generate a good password if you need to.

[Anonymous]

Don't get a data plan for his phone. On your wifi router, turn off access for the phone. You use the IP address on the phone. You should be able to google the instructions, or call your wifi provider on how to do this.

Download some kind of app lock, then lock the Settings app so that he can't connect to a wifi if he goes somewhere that has free wifi access. Otherwise he will be able to connect to the internet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't get a data plan for his phone. On your wifi router, turn off access for the phone. You use the IP address on the phone. You should be able to google the instructions, or call your wifi provider on how to do this.

Download some kind of app lock, then lock the Settings app so that he can't connect to a wifi if he goes somewhere that has free wifi access. Otherwise he will be able to connect to the internet.

PP here... also app lock any browser or app that uses the internet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I second Tracfone. I purchased it online from Walmart. I got the non-smart phone. Cost me $20 and then loaded it with a $20 calling card that lasts 3 months. It’s a dollar per text or phone call so it’s really only for emergency and it’s very embarrassing for my 12 year old. My friend had a similar situation as you and she stopped cold turkey. Not even a basic phone. Also if it makes you feel better by brother had a similar issue growing up finally got out of it by getting involved in sports and is a highly specialized surgeon today. There is hope.

This is the OP. I bought him a Tracfone. I bought him one like this: https://www.amazon.com/TracFone-LG-306G-Contract-Phone/dp/B00JG3M47E/ref=sr_1_19/144-1123252-8046824?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1517956445&sr=1-19&keywords=tracfone

It has no data plan. I bought him a 60 minute card, which equals 180 minutes. He used all the minutes in two days, then claimed the phone was "broken"!!! I finally realized there is a browser in the phone, and that he was able to access games through the browser, which explained why his minutes disappeared. So I took that phone away. He had it for 2 days.

What Tracfone did you buy that has no browser? It seems like all of them have a browser.

I think there are some logical consequences that can come from this. Sorry DS - used up all the minutes - that's all you get for X amount of time, so now you'll need to call your friend or I can call their mom if you'd like him to come over. Isn't tehre somethign to be said for him starting to self-regulate? You can only prevent/control/limit him but so much, which I think you need to do as the parent - but I think there needs to be some expectations for him as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I second Tracfone. I purchased it online from Walmart. I got the non-smart phone. Cost me $20 and then loaded it with a $20 calling card that lasts 3 months. It’s a dollar per text or phone call so it’s really only for emergency and it’s very embarrassing for my 12 year old. My friend had a similar situation as you and she stopped cold turkey. Not even a basic phone. Also if it makes you feel better by brother had a similar issue growing up finally got out of it by getting involved in sports and is a highly specialized surgeon today. There is hope.

This is the OP. I bought him a Tracfone. I bought him one like this: https://www.amazon.com/TracFone-LG-306G-Contract-Phone/dp/B00JG3M47E/ref=sr_1_19/144-1123252-8046824?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1517956445&sr=1-19&keywords=tracfone

It has no data plan. I bought him a 60 minute card, which equals 180 minutes. He used all the minutes in two days, then claimed the phone was "broken"!!! I finally realized there is a browser in the phone, and that he was able to access games through the browser, which explained why his minutes disappeared. So I took that phone away. He had it for 2 days.

What Tracfone did you buy that has no browser? It seems like all of them have a browser.

I think there are some logical consequences that can come from this. Sorry DS - used up all the minutes - that's all you get for X amount of time, so now you'll need to call your friend or I can call their mom if you'd like him to come over. Isn't tehre somethign to be said for him starting to self-regulate? You can only prevent/control/limit him but so much, which I think you need to do as the parent - but I think there needs to be some expectations for him as well.

Right. I'd give him a set amount of minutes for the month. If he uses them in 2 days, then it's back to you calling his friend moms to make play dates for him. If that's "humiliating" then he needs to save his minutes for texting his friends to arrange meet ups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he is being treated for the addiction, it seems odd that those treating him are not providing you guidance on this and helping you implement limits. If the professionals you are working with can't provide you that info, they can't help your child. There are actual real options for kids with gaming addictions. Get in touch with such a place for help.

Like what? Where? The counselor he's seeing has looked, in our area, but found no one. He's an A student, plays sports, has friends. He's going to need a phone sooner or later.

OP, I'm not the PP to whom you're responding, but I'm pretty sure I recall seeing specific programs or therapists named in a thread on DCUM maybe in the past year or two, maybe a bit further back. There was discussion of specialists who dealt with gaming addiction. Try a search of past threads related to gaming and gaming addiction--? I'd do it for you now, OP, but can't. Good luck

[Anonymous]

You need an old flip phone w/ no internet capabilities. he can still text and make calls.

But as a former teen with parents who feared I was "internet addicted," and I did have some unhealthy internet chatting habits, it was really an escape from depression. I hope you are getting good help at figuring out and addressing everything that may be going on. Fwiw, I eventually grew up to be a healthy functional adult.

[Anonymous]

OP - what if you found him one with an old 2G browser?

I don't think you can play a game on soemthing that slow, so if he breaks your rules he still won't have fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty sure there will be no gaming with this:

https://www.greatcall.com/phones/jitterbug-flip-cell-phone-for-seniors

Looks pretty humiliating for a 13 year old, but might do the job. I'll have to look at the phones and see if they really have no internet access. Even the most basic flip phones have some internet access, for some unknown reason. I guess it's to email photos?

Show him the video too.

Acrylic painting!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=rSpuZRj8Gp4

[Anonymous]

Why do we want to humiliate this kid? He has an addiction. Humiliation and isolation won't help him.

[Anonymous]

I was the PP that mentioned tracfone and control apps. We finally switched from tracfone to an older model iPhone for DC and use netsanity which has worked for us so far. We can turn off internet access and specific apps. But my teen isn't savvy enough or maybe not yet motivated enough to find ways around it. It uses the iPhone's vpn which probably can be disabled although netsanity sent us instructions about how to avoid that. If your DS maxed out the tracfone, maybe the only option is cold turkey no phone and to make social plans just have him use email that you'd control access to via your computer? Good luck. This sounds like a really tough issue to handle.